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<title>say goodnight now (he's waiting) by popmart (tambsi)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26426587">say goodnight now (he's waiting)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tambsi/pseuds/popmart'>popmart (tambsi)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Arcadia (UK Band), Duran Duran</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff and Angst, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Tumblr Prompt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:16:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>770</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26426587</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tambsi/pseuds/popmart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>He wished such happiness like he had with Simon now hadn’t come with all of those consequences behind it. </em>
</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Simon Le Bon/Nick Rhodes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>say goodnight now (he's waiting)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmywill/gifts">allmywill</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was requested over on my tumblr by the NiSi queen, allmywill! Somehow it came out with more angst than I intended, but I think it works well. I certainly hope you all enjoy it as much as I did while writing it.</p>
<p>Prompt:<br/>'things you said when you thought i was asleep'</p>
<p>title from 'Til Tuesday's 'Sleep' (Am aware that this song is like, probably about death...but the rest of the album is basically breakup songs and this was what I happened to be listening to as I wrote this)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>While Nick was the one usually late to rise between himself and Simon, it was generally a rare occurrence for him to be asleep <em>before</em> his partner. Most nights he would stay up either working on something, reading or watching something, or just sitting out on the porch of their Paris dwelling (or, if they were home, the apartment they shared, it didn’t face the street so he was rarely harassed by fans in the night) and contemplating life over a cup of tea and a smoke.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This night however, he had slipped in the bed before Simon was finished reading whatever deep French novel was preoccupying his night times at present, and tried in vain to fall asleep. His head had been killing him, the pressure slowly building throughout the day until he was unable to bear any great amount of light or sound. The dim light of Simon’s lamp along with his soft breathing and page turning was about all the sound Nick could tolerate in that moment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He kept his eyes shut and body relatively still as he tried to ease the pressure in his head, using Simon’s steady breaths to lull him closer and closer to unconsciousness.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That along with the warmth that slowly generated around him from his own body heat getting trapped amongst cotton and silk had almost worked. <em>Almost.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>But of course, whatever Simon must’ve been reading had him pondering. Ruminating on…well, apparently love. Love for him, at any rate.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It took all in him to not jerk his body in shock as Simon reached out to begin running deft fingers through his hair, though the longer they lingered there the more he found it to be a help for his hurting head.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nick had almost forgotten how good Simon was with his hands in more situations other than on guitars and his cock.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He melts more into the covers and almost doesn’t realize Simon’s murmuring to himself very softly, though when he hears the words <em>“I adore you like this.”</em> His mind perks to attention.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Good to see you getting some rest…even if it’s because you’re hurting.” Simon whispers, and Nick suddenly feels lips kissing the top of his head. “I wish you weren’t hurting. You’ve been hurting so much lately…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Simon wasn’t wrong, Nick supposes. Even with the freshness of starting this <em>Arcadia</em> project with him and Roger, and the happiness that very obviously brought, he was still wrecked deep down inside that John and Andy couldn’t have followed them down that road. He knew that Duran was all but done, really, as much as everyone walked on eggshells to deny it openly. But it was plain as day that things wouldn’t be how they were, it was partially his fault, but it still pained him deeply inside.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It hurt him to slowly lose the man he considered his best friend for nearly half his life, as well as the guitarist he’d worked with to raise up to where they all were. He wished such happiness like he had with Simon now hadn’t come with all of those consequences behind it. As much as he tried to not admit it and look on the brighter side of things, it still weighed him down.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“If I could do anything to take that pain away, I would. Seeing you sleep is good, though.” Nick can tell that Simon’s simply rambling at this point, and it’s about then that he realizes that the lamp light is out and they’re both definitely in the darkness, and he ventures to open his eyes the tiniest bit right as Simon lays down behind him and pulls him flush to his bare chest.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Maybe you’ll feel this,” Simon says, wrapping an arm around Nick’s middle protectively. “In your dreams. I could protect you from the nightmares, Nicky. I would do that for you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nick’s a bit sad for once at how quick his lover fades to sleep once he’s laid down, because everything else after that warps into whispers and then to silence before being fully replaced with a soft snore. That was alright, though. Simon had said enough that Nick felt better than he had all day.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Frankly, he was feeling the best he had felt in <em>weeks</em>. He knew there was a reason why he loved this goofy man who slept flush against him and was wrapped around him near like a vice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nick felt <em>loved</em>, felt <em>protected</em>, and he knew he would be fine as long as he had Simon by his side no matter what the future held for them both.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>END.</p>
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